The first interesting place I saw in Amman, the capital of Jordan, was the city citadel. This is the name given to a large hill with the remains of ancient structures. In this article I’ll show you some photos of this landmark and tell you about its history.
Amman Citadel: walking around the site
The citadel is one of the most popular attractions in Amman. As far as I remember, when I was preparing for the trip, this place kept appearing at the top of different lists of sights in the city.
The citadel, also known as Jabal Al-Qala, is the highest point in Amman. In the past this was where the first inhabitants of the region lived. Archaeological excavations show that settlements may have appeared here more than 7,000 years ago.
Life on the hill was in full swing during the Bronze and Iron Ages; later the citadel went through the Persian period, the Hellenistic era, as well as Roman, Byzantine and early Islamic periods.
The total length of the walls of the Amman Citadel reached 1,680 metres. There were 14 towers and three main gates.
The Amman Citadel is a whole complex of buildings from different periods. Today you can see tombs, fragments of walls, the ruins of several religious buildings, and the mausoleum of King Abdullah. The last structure already dates back to the 20th century. Part of the site was occupied by a cemetery with unidentified burials; during restoration work in the last century it was deliberately left untouched.
In the central part of the citadel are the remains of the ancient Temple of Hercules. It is believed that this structure was built on the foundations of an earlier temple in the 2nd century AD. In the past, annual festivals were held here.
Not far from the temple ruins stands the small building of the Jordan Archaeological Museum. Inside you can see many exhibits from different periods. I visited the citadel at the end of September, when the temperature outside was around 30 degrees. The museum building and the small café at the entrance were the only places where you could escape the scorching sun.
How to get there
There is no metro in Amman. I read online that the bus system here is not very well developed, and for a visitor it would be hard to quickly figure out the public transport network, so I went to the citadel by taxi instead. A 10-kilometre ride from my hotel to the citadel cost me 4.2 dinars.
I was in Jordan at a time when Russian citizens needed a visa to enter the country. To save money on it, I bought a Jordan Pass, which included both the visa fee and admission to many of Jordan’s attractions, including the citadel. If you decide to buy a ticket at the entrance, it will cost 3 dinars (as of November 2025).
My walk around the site took about an hour. As I mentioned above, there is a small shop at the citadel where you can buy water, other drinks and snacks.
From the citadel you get a great view of the remains of the large Roman theatre, which I visited right after my walk around the hill. I’ll write about this landmark in my next article on travelling in Jordan.
Enjoy your trips!
